Refrigerating case



Jan. 3, 1939. R. E. OTTEQHEIMER v Re. 20,966

REFRIGERATING CASE 1 W m y p 2 F 1 w i m 1i! Reuben E. 0/IZn/1 e/mer:

Jan. 3, 1939. O'II'TENHEIMER Rg. 20,966

REFRIGERATING CASE Original Filed Jan. 31, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ra a i 3.1939 "Re. 20,966.

UNITED STATES PATENTJO-FFICE aarmoaaa'rma case Reuben E. Ottenhelmer, Baltimore, Md., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of one-half to Ottenheimer Bros, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland, and one-half to Emanuel E. Ottepheimer, Baltimore, Md.

Original No. 1,572,855, dated February 9, 1926, Serial No. 6,151, January 31, 1925. Reissue No. 16,941, dated April 24, 1928, Serial No. 252,929, February 8, 1928. This application for reissue March 14, 1938, Serial No. 195,930

. Claims. (on. 62-31 V This invention relates to refrigerators and par- Fig. 4 is an' enlarged fragmentary section' ticularly to a refrigerated show-case provided through the upper portion of the case; with means for illuminating its interior. Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing the con- Illumination of refrigerated show-cases is a struction of the combined bafiie and'display sign. difflcult problem for the reason that the heating In the drawings certain structural details, such 5 effect of the lamps must be minimized. Satisfacas parts of the framing and insulation of the body tory illumination cannot be had from lamps of the show-case, are omitted to simplify the I cated outside the case, and so far as I am addrawings. Any of the known body structures vised no satisfactory way of using them within the may be used.

10 case has been devised. The present invention The refrigerated show-case is supported by any 10 solves this problem by the co-ordination of. a suitable. means such as the base ll. Its bottom number of special features, certain of which are consists of a water-tight insulated body portion not novel in themselves, in such manner that in i2 whose form is shown in the drawings, a d conjunction they produce a new and better re whose exact construction is not material to the i5 suit. v invention. Ordinarily it would be constructed Generally stated, I docate the lamps in a porof wood with the usual insulation, and would be tion of the frame structureof the case at the internally lined with some non-corrosive metal, a ,top where they are completely housed and may as is familiar to those skilled in the art. The readily be concealed from the customer. Though floor of the body portion l2 slopes forward to a they are then in effect within the case, they are drain i3 of ordinary form which is protected by 20 isolated from the interior of the case by a glass a screen l4. panel through which their light is projected. The body portion i2 is higher at its rear than Any light transmitting material which would at its front, and is s binto a di play serve as a reasonably good insulator against the space and a space to house the refrigerating passage of heat might be substituted for glass. means by a vertical partition i5 and a forwardly 26 The heat given off by the lamps is largely dissloping, but approximately horizontal, shelf l5. sipated by convection through vent ports formed The vertical partition I5 is located about twoi in the top of the lamp-housing structure. thirds of the distance from the front to-the back The glass panel below the lamps serves to re- "of the'case. It extends the entire length of the 30 duce the transmission of heat, but alone is not case, but isspaced from the top and bottom there- ,30 always. adequate to effect this result. Accord- 0 as clear y Sh w in F to permit ingly I so locate the lamps and .so arrange cerculation rearward over it and forward beneath'in, tain screens or baffles that the circulation of air A flange i'l carried by the partition i5 serves within the refrigerator does not pass close to this to support the shelf i5 at its rear end. This shelf glass, panel. Stated differently, I maintain imrests at its forward end on an fangle strip I8. 5 mediately below the panel a layer of inert or mm The shelf I5 is preferably constructed ofa plucirculating air which serves effectually to retard rality of sections for'ease in removal, and is prothe transfer of heat, and which, as \it' becomes vided along the edge adjacent the front of the heated, inherently seeks a position inthe top of. case with an. upstanding, rearwardly inclined 40 the case outside the path of circulation within baffle i9. This preferably partly overhangs a se- 40 the case. Whenever the case is open for service ries of air ports 20 formed in the shelf i6 along there is an opportunity for part or all of this the front of the show-case. The openings 20 heated air to escape, and this assists in dissipating might be otherwise located, but I prefer the locathe heat of the lamps and reducing their heating tion shown. action'within the case. The exact construction of the shelf is not a 45 The advantages of the invention may be sefeature of the present invention, but I'have'chosen cured with structures differing somewhat in defor illustration a type of shelf described and tail, but the best embodiment of it known to me claimed in my companion application Serial No. is.illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 6,150, filed January 31, 1925, and consequently which- I make no claim to the shelf per se in the present 50 Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through application. a refrigerated show-case embodying my inven- Blocks of ice maybe placed in the space to; the tion; I rear of the partition i5, or refrigerating coils for- Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; mechanical refrigeration may be there installed.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the complete case; Also, it is feasible, though not generally necessary, 5;

' tracks or grooves 35, 31, and overlap each other to place crushed ice or refrigerating coils beneath the shelf, leaving the necessary space for air circulation.

A longitudinal frame member or rail 2| overlies the partition I 5 and serves as the rear support for a display case of approximately triangular cross section. This includes two longitudinal toprails 22 and 23 spaced apart to receive the light equipment between them. They are bridged at the top by an overlying strip of marble, translucent or opaque glass, or the like, 24, retained by clamp strips 25. When translucent material is used articles placed thereon may be illuminated. The

member 23 is recessed on its top face to form longnarrow slots 25 which serve to ventilate the lamp space between the rails 22 and 23. A series of clips or cross members 21 extending between the lower faces of the rails 22 and 23 carry a light transmitting panel 28 which isolates the lamp space between the rails Hand 23 from the interior of the show-case. This panel is ordinarily made of glass. Ordinary incandescent lamps lighted in the usual manner are shown at 29.

The front of the show-case is made up of glass panels and is double glazed, as indicated at 30, 3|.

These panels are held between mold strips 32 on the body portion l2 and on the front rail 22, and

also by inclined rabbeted frame members'33 which connect the front rail 22' with the front of the body portion I2. The rear of the display case portion is closed by a series of single glazed sliding sash 34, 35. These slide on separate parallel slightly at their ends when closed, as is usual.

tion l2 there are hinged doors 38 which may be opened tov permit the insertion of the necessary ice when ice is used.

Depending from the front rail 22 within the case in a substantially vertical portion is a member which serves as a combined baffle and illuminated display sign. Its bafile function is the one of primary importan'ce, but since its location is suitable for a sign and for the illumination thereof, I prefer to embody these features in it. The bafile, therefore, consists of a frame member, arranged to permit the passage of light, and hav- -ing a fixed channel member 40 at its top and a The sign 43 consists of an imperforate strip and therefore acts as an effective baflie. This strip preferably is translucent and carries letters or characters formed in opaque material, but any other arrangement may be used provided the characters are rendered visible by the lamps 29. The signs 43 are inserted by drawing down the spring-held member 4|, inserting the upper edge in the channel 40, and then releasing the spring urged member 4| so that it swings up and engages the lower edge of the sign..

The ends of the display portion of the case are closed by glass panels, and are double glazed, as indicated at 44, 45. In an illuminated case transparent end panels are satisfactory, but they are objectionable in an unilluminated case because of the effects of cross lights. Hence where the case is to be lighted only part of the time, the interior end panel may to advantage be silvered so as'to glazing is an important factor in effective insulation.

It is possible to place display signs or price tickets on the forward face of the baflie l9, and this possibility is useful and attractive commercially.

This being the general construction of the case,

it is important to note the preferred relation -of the parts for this has much to do with securing the best results. The front panels are quite sharply inclined to the rear, and together with the rear sliding doors confine a narrow inert air zone which extends well above the 'path of air circulation. The circulating air rises through the ports 20, is deflected to the rear by the bailie l9, and passes into the refrigerating space through the slot-like portbetween the top of the partition l5 and the bottom of the rail 2 This current, flowing rearwardly across the case, would have a tendencyto cause a secondary circulation or eddy in the air in thetop of the case, and if such circulation occurred, a. certain amount of the air heated by the lamps 29 would mix with the air circulating through the shelf and downward throughthe refrigerating space and thus raise the temperature in the bottom portion of the case. The baflie formed by the sign 43, however, has the effect of checking any eddy flow, and preserves in the top 1 or apex portion of the case a practically inert body of air which absorbs most of the heat radiating into the case from the lamps, and prevents its convection into the cold air at the lower portion of the case. Even if the air in the top of the case should become quite highly heated, much of it would escape whenever the doors 34, 35 are opened, as they are whenever sales are made.

Another effect performed primarily by the baiile i9, but assisted in some degree by the half!- ing effect of the sign 43, is the preservation adjacent the inner glass panel 3| of a non-circulating or inert body of air. Forthis reason the glassmizing the heating effect of the lamps and as offering a position favorable to the very best illumination. Everything on the shelf I6 is illumina'ted. Thesign baiiie 43 is also illuminated and shades the interior surface of the glass panel 3i. This reduces reflection and refraction efiects which would tend to produce ghosts and reduce the visibility through the glass from certain angles.

In short, the various details of the case are so designed andcoordinated as to secure uniform illumination from a concealed source, effective arrest and dissipation of heat from said source, and sustained visibility through the transparent walls of the display case. With these major features are combined effectively place and brightly illuminated signs which are so combined with the necessary bafiles that they never interfere with the desired air circulation. 7

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a display case having a wide bottom, a top defined by a narrow frame structure, and an inclined transparent front sus- I arranged to obstruct air circulation immediately I, air.

3. The combination of a display case having a wide bottom, a narrow top and an inclined transparent front panel; artificial lighting means mounted in said narrow top: alight transmitting partition for retarding the flow of heat from the lighting means to the lower portion of the case; a baflle extending downward from said partition to preserve a body of inert air adjacent thereto;

and refrigerating means arranged to produce a circulation of cold airin said case.

4. The combination of a display case having a wide bottom, anarrow top and an inclined transparent front panel: artificial illuminatin means mounted in'said narrow top; a combined sign 'and baiiie located beneath said illuminating means in position to be lighted thereby and to maintain a body of non-circulating air immediately beneath the illuminating means: and re-- irigerating means arranged to produce a circulation of oold'air in the lower portion of said case.

5. The combination of a display case havin a wide bottom, a. top frame -structure including closely spaced members, and'an inclined transparent front panel sup rted at its top edgeby said frame structure; artificial lightingmeans mounted between said closely spaced members: a

glass panel underlying said lighting means;

means for venting heated air from the space above said underlying panel; a baiile beneath and adjacent said underlying panel and serving to retain a body of inert air adjacent thereto: refrigerating means serving to produce an air circulation in the lower portion of said case; and a baille serving to direct said circulation away from said front panel.

6.. The combination of a display case having a transparent front; artificial lighting means mounted adjacent the upper edge of said transparent front adapted to illuminate the interior of said case; refrigerating means serving to produce an air circulation in said case; and a baille mounted adjacent said artificial lighting means in the upper portion of said case serving to retard air circulation adjacent said lighting means, and

to shade said transparent front panel from light transmitted directly trom said artificial'lighting means. i

7. The combination of a display case having at least one transparent wall, refrigerating means associated with said case and so arrange to .induce convection cooling currents in the air contained in said case; illuminating means at the top of.the case isolated from the interior thereof by a 'light transmitting partition; and means serving to control the Bow of said convection currents and minimize. such ow adjacent said transparent wall and said p ition. 

